Pinkish

Hi there! Here's my latest creation; the peacock flat notecard. I have several sets ready to go and it's up for sale on my etsy shop. It's printed in a bright magenta pink ink and on really soft thick cotton paper. I'm very happy with how they came out and the letterpress impression is deep for these. It was fun to work on them! In other art news: I've finished up two drawings and am currently having them turned into plates so I can do a limited edition letterpress print run for each. I'm excited to finally be able to offer my own art prints. It feels good to be able to contribute to the affordable art movement. I like the idea that everyone can find artwork that is unique and affordable for their walls rather than mass-marketed items that can be found anywhere. I hope to get the plates next week and also get the printing done next week as well. Of course I'll post them here as soon as they're ready! I'm excited about them if you can't tell. I'm spending other time this weekend gathering inspiration and enjoying the nice weather. I hope you're enjoying your weekends! Be well and stay positive!

Seagulls

Hello all! Feeling pretty bad and in pain, but have managed to print some new stationery to sell on etsy! Living in New England, the beaches in summer are filled with flocking seagulls who bob and dive through the air. I thought it would make the perfect notecard...preppy and unique and very New England. It's printed on my letterpress in Navy Blue ink onto thick cotton bright white paper...Crane's Lettra letterpress paper. I kept the corners on this square, since rounding them didn't seem to go with the look and feel. I had a lot of fun printing them and it's my favorite card set so far. It's a great way to celebrate summer, but feels like it could be used all year long.
I've been brainstorming lots of ideas and have been making plans for limited edition prints that are affordable. My plan is to come up with 2 designs and see how they do. I've spent a lot of time getting inspired and sketching ideas...that's most of the fun!
I'm thinking they will be 5 x 7 letterpressed works. Stay tuned!

We go on...

Hello! I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. Just healing and being. Since my last entry I've had a second methotrexate shot and I go in every 3 days for blood testing. I feel like a pincushion. My hormones are lowering verrrrrrrrry slowly. I still have all my pregnancy symptoms, so it's a bit torturous. I figure this should all be done in another 2 months total (I hope). I wouldn't wish this on anyone, that's for sure! My next blood test is on Monday; and by the looks of things I'll still be going in for the next 3 weeks at least. There's still danger that I'll need surgery so I'm pretty much nervous every day and have nightmares every night. I feel like I've aged 10 years at once. My eyes always look tired and I sort of have to pull myself around the house to get things done. I can't escape myself so I have to learn to adapt and overcome. It's a true lesson in patience. Thanks so much to everyone for the kind comments and emails. It is so great to know I have such support out there rooting for us. We appreciate it!

In other news, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things with my work, doing little small projects done. I just finished this birth announcement. It's 2 colors, printed on the cottony soft, ultra thick Crane's Lettra letterpress paper. It's a tea-length card with a photo affixed with a brad at the end. If you swing the photo out of the way, it reveals a kitten underneath! The envelope says "special delivery" on the front and has the return address and a little kitten on the back. It was so fun to design and put together. A real joy for me and a nice distraction.




I also finished up some baby thank you notes for my cousin as a baby shower gift. I had done her shower invitations, so I made the letterpressed cards to match. Another fun project! I made some extras for sale on my etsy shop.





My next projects are some new flat stationery card designs...some neat animals to come to go along with the turtle, frog, hummingbird, and penguin. Look for that next week! I promise I am back to writing more frequently now; thanks for sticking with me through my medical delay!

A Great Loss

"Your pregnancy has implanted in a dangerous place." When the doctor said those unexpected words to us, my world came to a freezing halt. Her sympathetic and troubled face told me that there was nothing good to be done. She went on to explain what was happening yet my brain could not keep up with what she was saying. I didn't know to cry and be upset until she handed me the box of tissues. I just stared down at the box and realized what it all meant. I was going to lose my baby. Chris and I both burst into tears as she told us they were waiting for us across the street at the emergency room...that they would run some blood tests and ultimately give me a shot of methotrexate (a small does of this chemotherapy drug designed to dissolve pregnancy tissue and bring pregnancy hormone levels back down to zero over time). She stated this was the safest course of action and had to be right away...my uterus was apparently in danger or rupturing...causing death or the removal of my uterus. She said surgery was not a good option for now because it leaves a scar and can attract an implanting pregnancy the next time around. I was still dealing with losing THIS one, much less thinking of the next time around. She explained that this was a type of ectopic pregnancy, but a rare version of it. 5% of pregnancies can be ectopic, and 2% of THAT is the chances for a "cornual pregnancy" or "interstitial pregnancy" which is what I have. The embryo is developing and implanted in my upper-uterus just outside of the fallopian tube. It's not down in the safe lining "pouch" where it is supposed to be. It is in the muscle of the uterus, bulging up at the top and would soon grow and burst. The baby would never have made it no matter what and we had to save me and my uterus. Anyway, the doctor left the room and we sat crying for a while. Why us?? Why now? We were in our sixth week and we'd already had 2 ultrasounds due to a small hematoma (blood clot) that was causing some bleeding. But everything had been fine...the baby was developing nicely, we saw the heartbeat...all systems were go! We had no idea and were not prepared at all for the fact that this could happen. We shuffled out of the office, defeated as we lurched to the parking lot. I was numb. We went over to the hospital as we continued to sob for the next few hours. The rest is a blur of tests and waiting and the IV in my hand and then that fateful shot. I was flat on my stomach on the bed as 2 nurses came in, one on each side. They each gave me a shot at the same time in my lower back/upper buttocks. As I lay there gripping the pillow I realized how final this moment would be. I felt so sad and guilty for my little heartbeating "Niblet" as we affectionately called it. We had bonded with it and talked to it and joyously made plans; all now to be dissolved away by this damned shot. We went home that night amid blurs of telephone calls and bad news. All I knew was that this shot would take time to work. Up to a month, in fact, and maybe up to 3. They told me my hormones would slowly go down week-to-week and that eventually they would hit zero. The embryo would dissolve back into my body. As for bleeding, they couldn't tell me if or when it would happen. They said once the hormone levels got down enough, I would shed my lining as a heavy period. The doctor at the hospital had me come back a few days later for more tests to see how it was going and to make sure I wasn't going to rupture. I also had to have another ultrasound to see if it had grown or if it had started to shrink yet. It was awful. We'd said our goodbyes to Niblet and I'd asked it to forgive us and told it how sorry I was this was happening. I know it was for the best and to save my life, but it doesn't take away the pain of forcing a life to end no matter WHAT the reason. Chris even did a little baptismal blessing at my stomach...which I can only hope made him feel better in some small way. I am not Catholic so I just sort of sat there and let him do what he needed. It's just as much his sorrow as mine. The radiologist in the ultrasound room said that the heartbeat was not there and that things didn't look to be rupturing or in trouble. So, it was done. I felt a rush of sadness along with a rush of peace and closure for Niblet. No more waiting in torture for the little life to end. 4 days of waiting for that felt like an eternity. The fear for my life was over too...I could finally get started dealing with the loss. I'm going in today for a follow-up blood test. I will be going in every 4 days to make sure my hormones are dropping. If not, they need to give me another shot. I pray that this works. I don't want another shot and I don't want to have to have surgery. The doctor the other day mentioned "if this had implanted 1 cm down it would have been ok." Gee. Wow.
I'm not sure what to feel about that information, and I'm quite certain I would have gotten by without that nugget of knowledge. And I know all the "hey, this happend for a reason" (and what reason could it POSSIBLY be?) and "At least you can get pregnant". I'm grateful for the truths of these things. Yes, I can get pregnant apparently. And it seemed the baby would have been ok in there had it been lower down. But I have to say it doesn't take away the pain or help in any way to know these things. Niblet is gone and that's the fact of the matter. A loss that must be grieved and felt. I am lonely, sad, and isolated. This was not a miscarriage so I don't fit in there; and it wasn't a tubal pregnancy, so I don't fit in there. We are now waiting. Waiting for time to go by, for my hormones to zero out, for the embryo to dissolve. And who knows how long it will take. We'd love to try again as soon as possible, but it all rides on how fast we can get this going. And it's not up to me. It's out of my hands. I wish this was quick and simple so i could at least know it was over and could grieve and try again soon. But I'm left in this sort of suffering limbo...not knowing what I will be told today after my blood test or 4 days after that. I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I think "why can't I have this go smoothly!!!" "I have enough rare shit going on with my body already...can't I have this go right!??" I already have a rare genetic disorder called "Nail patella syndrome" and I already have "Pressure Urticaria" which is a rare situation where I get hives all over my body every day from any pressure on my skin. This causes fatigue, joint pain, and overall severe itchiness. I was kind of hoping I would have a nice normal pregnancy since I'd already paid my "rare shit" toll. But, I guess not. If only we could have won the lottery with these odds instead! Anyway, I am starting to feel hopeful that things will be better and I know we will feel the joy and thrill of a new baby at some point, however it happens. I still haven't gone back to work yet...I just can't seem to make myself move. I have no strength or energy for my normal activities. But soon I will have to bite the bullet and get started. People out there have it far worse than me. FAR worse. I will be ok. We will be ok. I choose to believe it will all work out. And I have thanked Niblet for getting my body ready for the next one. That it's life was not in vain, but here to ready my body for what is to come. In the meantime, I will get through each day one at a time. I will take deep breaths and I will smile even when I don't feel like it. I will move forward and it will get easier. This is a permanent scar on our lives and will one day be a memory like anything else. Until that day comes, please send us good vibes and good thoughts. I can officially say that I can't do this alone. For anyone who wants to understand what happened via a diagram, click here to see all the versions of ectopic pregnancy...mine is the cornual/interstitial one. Mine was on the right side. Thanks for listening!

New Growth

Spring is finally happening here where I live. Things are finally blooming, budding, and growing. I'm so happy about it too! I went around the street taking some photos of new growth; I just love the bright and fresh colors this time of year offers. This week will be a busy one; lots of printing to do and I'm booked for a client off-site for 2 days. I'm so grateful! This weekend my husband and I went into Boston and walked around historic Charles street area looking into all the cute and unique shops. We then wandered Newbury Street until I couldn't stand the crowds anymore. It was a wonderful day and so nice to get out. Chris spend Sunday fixing up the lawn and getting yardwork done. He did a great job! As for me, I've been in a contemplative mood lately and have been enjoying sitting outside in the cool breeze when I can. Just being peaceful. These are the moments I cling to when things get busy...what do YOU do to relax and connect with the moment? Have a great day everyone!

Paris Hilton going to Jail

Here is a quote from Paris Hilton's mother: "[The judge] made up his mind before he even came in today. If it were anyone else, this would've never had happened."

Oh please. If you are repeatedly breaking probation and constantly doing things you aren't supposed to... you get punished!!! It's like this for EVERYONE. I think she's had more than her fair share of warnings and for Kathy Hilton to act like they are somehow special to be "targeted" really makes me angry. People are thrown in jail every day for less. MUCH less. She should realize how lucky they are that they even got this far. But that's the way it is... people who forget how blessed and good they have had it...only complain that they are victims later. Well, it's time for some humble pie for Paris Hilton. News flash: this WOULD happen to anyone else (and it would have been much sooner than this). Now THIS is reality TV.

Sorry for this outburst; I just had to get this out. And now, back to our normal programming....

Letterpress videos

Hello! It's such a rainy day! But it's not getting me down darnit. If you are interested in letterpress like I am; it's fun to see videos of presses in action. This great page from Swayspace Letterpress Printing has several videos showing how the press works. Very useful! Just scroll down the page and a few of the big images are clickable and play movies. Well, I'm off. Tomorrow I'm meeting the the nice letterpress man again who has all kinds of things for sale at his shop. Presses, fonts, tools, etc. He's so nice and the equipment is very great. Other than that; I have some shopping and errands to run. Don't forget Mother's Day is coming soon!! Check out my Etsy Shop for ideas to include in your gift for Mom... (Love you Mom!)

Hummingbird

Hello! Today's notecards are the hummingbird flat notes. With rounded edges and printed on Crane's Lettra paper they are luxe, soft, and fluffy. This card is done in two inks; green and pink. Another springy selection! The envelopes are also Crane's Lettra; and are just as soft. Find them for sale here. Today I am meeting with a nice man who lives a town over who contacted me to see if I was interested in purchasing letterpress equipment and fonts from him. He's retiring his letterpress shop and he's going to show me around and give me some tips. I'm excited to meet him and talk about letterpress and get some good advice. Have a great day everyone!

Leap Frog

Hi! Today I've put the Leaping Frog flat note card up for sale. Letterpress on soft bright-white Crane's Lettra paper. Feels so soft and luxe. The envelopes are the same; and the set comes with 5 flat cards. Buy them here. I'm still loving the springy green! The leaping frog pressed nicely into the paper; I'm happy with the results for sure. Am finishing up a wedding project...including the invite and rsvp card, plus printed envelopes for both, then a directions card and stay & play card. And finally, a program. It will be fun to letterpress everything and see it all together. The couple would also like a menu/bookmark design as placecards for each guest of the wedding...that will be produced as an offset printed job. What's fun about my job is that I don't just have to letterpress my designs; I can send them to vendors to be printed offset or to be engraved....I'm strictly the designer. It's hard for everyone to afford letterpress since it's so time-consuming. For my own wedding I designed my own materials and had it all offset printed. Now that I have my own press I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again and letterpress it! Oh well. I guess I can look forward to birth announcements and party invites and all that good stuff for myself. See you tomorrow!

Turtle Card!

Hello everyone! It's been busy here at the studio lately; and that's a good thing! As for my notecards; I've got 3 new sets. I'm posting my first new set today; and will post the next tomorrow, and the last of the new sets on Thursday. Today's card is the turtle flat notecard; letterpressed green on soft pillowy-soft Crane's Lettra paper. The paper is ultra thick and so luxurious. The envelopes are also Crane's lettra and are equally soft, luxurious and lovely. Find the turtle for sale at my Etsy shop here. I'm happy with the shade of green...very springy/summery. I hope everyone is having a great week! We are enjoying some lovely warm weather here in the Northeast for the first time in so long! Heaven. See you tomorrow!

Back in Action

Hello everyone! We are back and ready to go! The vacation in West Palm was great. It felt good to just sit and relax. I read 4 books, sat in the sun, went swimming, and had fruity cocktails. No photos though. I made it a point to not even bring my camera (gasp!) I am now refreshed and ready to work. I have quite a list of tasks to do today; so I'm jumping right in! I will need to catch up on some of my favorite blogs at some point as well. I hope all is well with everyone! Have a great day!

Off to play!

Won't be in the office this week; we're off to play in West Palm Beach, FL. I can't wait for some warm weather and sun. Miracles! Have a great week everyone!

Greenery

As it has snowed outside I could only think of spring and green. Or the wish of it. So, I worked on some stationery designs that involved that perfect shade of springy/summery green. First I had to mix it (15 parts yellow, one part process blue). Then, ink up the press. Well, I spent most of the day yesterday adjusting it because I put too much ink on. I also found that the tape on my rails compressed a lot and I was getting some ghosting on my images. I had to add more tape to the rails until I got a clean image. I now have 8 layers of tape on each rail instead of 2. But it works great. Also, cleaning off the extra ink made a nice clean print as well. It's hard to find the right balance; I usually put too little. The new rollers are such a dream. I can't say enough good things about the rubber rollers. Especially now that I've gotten things adjusted and working smoothly.
Anyway, the stationery designs are secret until they launch in another week or two, but here's the color on my logo.
I am off later this weekend on vacation to West Palm Beach, FL. I won't be around next week as we take some time for fun and sun (much needed). I plan to order the envelopes I need when we return and then I'll post my new cards on my etsy shop. I hope all is well out there and that spring weather comes here soon!

The Call of the Wild

Today's animal is Mr. Woodchuck. I think he's our new neighbor; when I look out our window I can see right into his den. If you look in the photo, you can see a black spot; a hole. It's right above and to the right of the gray bird-feeder hook. He's in the side of the hill and we can see right in. Not that I would look; I'm no peeping Tom.

Chris and I talked about bringing him a "welcome to the neighborhood" basket, but we're not sure he's used to our customs in these parts. He's been sitting on the rocks outside the house all morning. I hope he's not waiting for the sun as we're supposed to get rain and snow all day soon. Or maybe he needs to borrow a cup of sugar. Who knows. I worked on press yesterday. The new rollers are AMAZING. They solved so many problems I was having. Since they were new I had to re-adjust the tape on the rails of my press. I was sort of dreading that part as I had a whopping TWENTY FIVE layers of tape on EACH rail. I hated the idea of having to start again. I peeled it all off and started over and was happy to discover I only needed 2 layers of tape on each rail. PHEW! The ink distributed nice and even. Now that I'm using the Crane's Lettra paper and have an extra roller that's being used I have to use more ink than I had gotten used to using. But the quality and the whole process is so much better. I just need my California wash to come in and I'll be all set! Have a great day! I'm off to print the "green" color on my cards (yesterday was all about magenta).

Business News

Hello everyone! Just an update to let you know that my website has been redesigned and updated with my new work. Check it out at www.megancreates.com. I hope you like it!
I was also featured yesterday in I Love Letterpress' blog showcase featuring Birth Announcement design. You can check it out here. Today I will be doing some administrative work in the morning and am on press the rest of the day as I adjust my new rollers and print some notecards. I'm so happy with the new rollers in terms of how they work on the press. Now I have to see how they print! I wonder what wildlife will await me outside today?

Gobble!! Gobble!!

Holy crap! I was talking to myself this morning as I planned the day and I glanced out my living room window and saw a turkey wandering around outside. Cool! I thought. So I started taking photos of it...

After several shots (Wow! I've never seen a turkey like this up close! And it's right by the house!) I realized....Heyyyyyyy, where there's one turkey there's more! So I tip-toed over to the next window on the other side of the room, looked out and saw this one. It was double the size of the other one and much more colorful...

Wow! I thought...cool! A turkey couple. So I watched the bigger one for a while and took a million photos. Soon, I realized it was looking in our basement door.
So I tiptoed over and went down a few steps to the basement and saw this:
It noticed me on the stairs. It was giving me the evil turkey eye and was pacing back and forth in the doorway. WOW!


So I went back up the stairs to calm his fears and back to the living room where I could look down on it. Here it is staring into the basement:

I heard "clang-clang!".....clang clang!!!!!! It was knocking on the glass door. Finally, it calmed and wandered away to be with it's wife in the woods with it's calmed feathers.

I've never seen them around the house before much less at all! Good times. By the way, Easter dinner went well and we had so much fun!!!!!!! I was so full by the end of it I thought I'd burst. Always fun to be with family! Have a great day all!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Well, it's tomorrow, but I figure I'll write today. As you can see, the China is ready for the fabulous meal to come. Chris and I are hosting Easter and having my parents, my brother, my Aunt, and my cousin come over for the day. Chris is making a roasted Rosemary and Garlic leg of lamb with mushroom risotto and salad. I'm avoiding the lamb and sticking with the risotto myself. We're excited. Today means a massive cleaning of the house (which I dread) but it will be worth it.
This past week I went and had a web design tutorial session with Camilo; and it was fabulous! I learned so much and have a good handle on my website redesign. I've got a bunch of it done, but the portfolio section is the largest part and is yet to be started. Yikes! I went to a paper show with an associate/friend of mine and it was very interesting. The theme of the show was on "green" environmentally friendly paper practices, etc. It was so informative. One thing we as designers can do is select papers that are FSC certified and use printers that are FSC certified. This indicates that the paper used to print comes from a forest which is well-managed according to strict environmental, social, and economical standards. These forests are sustainable and made for the purposes of producing paper so that the forests key to our world's survival are protected. This issue with paper production now goes way beyond just being recycled. The papers now are so beautiful. You would NEVER know they were recycled. There's so many lovely choices now in the recycled/green side of things and the prices are almost the same. There's no good reason to NOT choose FSC Certified papers...it's a win/win. In order to find out more; just ask your printer or paper vendor. It's a hot topic right now and is likely the way all paper is going. You can find out how your choices impact the environment by checking out www.papercalculator.org. It's so fascinating at the HUGE impact one little project can make. Play around on that website; you'll see what I mean! As a designer I always wonder how I can have a positive impact on the world in some way. This seems to be the area where the choices I make matter. For the sake of my future children I have to take this seriously. I'm realizing I have to educate myself on these issues because nobody is going to do it for me. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy April!

Howdy! It's the first day of April; Spring is here and warmer weather is in sight. I think I'm coming down with the cold my husband had. But I'll stay in denial and hope it just goes away. I got word back from NA Graphics...the vendor doing my letterpress rollers said I should have them by this coming Thursday...YAY! Then I'll be back in action. They will be rubber this time; so they won't constantly shrink from the cold. Monday I have a web tutorial session with my friend's husband who teaches web design and digital photo/color balancing, etc. etc. I have a bunch of questions and am excited to have someone sitting with me to shed light on the confusing web world for me. As I redo my company website, this will all be helpful information. I'm so tired of scouring books and the internet and still coming up short with what I want to know. Me and a friend/associate are going to a paper show on Wednesday up in Portsmouth, NH (not far away). It will be nice to learn some new things about paper and get plenty of creative eye candy to peruse. I know. I'm lame. But graphic designers get excited about things like paper. It's out of my control. Hopefully I'll have more exciting things to post about soon! I'm off to research lined envelopes now (anyone know where I can get cool A7-sized lined envelopes???) Have a Happy April Fools' Day!

Untitled

Good morning all! I was so excited last night. I was watching "Bones" which is a favorite TV show of ours and the "victim" in the show had Nail Patella Sydrome (otherwise known as Fong Disease). They discussed it a bit on the show and my husband and I looked at each other in amazement because that's the affliction I have (as do other members of my family). It's very little known to the public and occurs 2.2 of every 100,000 people. You can learn more about it here. Anyway, it was a "wow" factor to actually see it on television since most people have never heard of it. Kind of cool. (in its own way) I'm enjoying working in my newly clean office. Now, I'm inspired to tackle my part of the bedroom where I've managed to pile clothes, magazines, books, and doodads. Time to pick up! The image posted today is of a cool pen cup that used to be my Grandfather's (Bumpa). He died around 17 years ago and my parents took in his desk. This cup was in it and contained old elastic bands, a compass (the kind you use in geometry), a magnifying glass, old pens, a rubber thumb, and some other odds and ends. I have since taken the cup and it sits on my desk now. I still have the original compass and magnifying glass in the cup. There are still the little odds & ends at the bottom as well. I like mixing in my current collection with his; it feels like family. And the cup has a great vintage look to it that has a lot of character on my desk. Have a great day everyone!

Spring

Happy first day of Spring! It's still very snowy here, but I'm thinking springy thoughts. I cleaned out my office today since I had piles of things everywhere and it became too unmanageable. It's back to "working" state now and I'm happy! I bought some fabric from Purl Soho and put it behind my computer screen/desk for a shot of color and interest without having to paint. It's bright and cheery and just what I needed. I hope you all have a fabulous start to spring. New beginnings are on the way!

Spring? I think not.

Last week we had this amazing day where it was 70 degrees. Here in New England, in March, that is very rare. It was so exciting! The next thing you know, 2 or 3 days later, we are buried in the most snow we've had all winter. I don't have photos of beautiful spring growth to share (like everyone else seems to have on their blogs lately). I have piles of snow mounded everywhere. No budding plants. No warm breezes. I'm so jealous of the people who have bits of plant growth to photograph. That won't likely happen around here for another month or so. It will come soon enough I suppose. The up side is that daylight savings has given us longer evenings now; I feel so much more alert when it's like this! Not much new going on here. Yesterday we organized our pantry...it had looked like a bomb went off in it. After watching some Style network home shows we got inspired and off to "The Container Store" we went. We got a great "over the door" storage unit for our pantry door that freed up a lot of space. A few hours later, we had reorganized our pantry AND went through our old crappy "Glad" containers that needed to finally get thrown out. You know...the pile of containers and lids that spill out of the cabinet and you go crazy trying to find the matching lid when you need it... Well, we went through and fixed the problem. With our new pantry space, we put the lids on the nice food storage containers we wanted to keep, and stacked them all on the bottom shelf so we can see them all and never struggle with lids again. If this is the biggest triumph of my week, I'll still be satisfied. I'm now off to tackle some work...I'm designing a wedding invitation, a baby shower invitation (with matching thank -you cards), and some other projects. Have a great day!